opentrons-dev-update

name: opentrons-dev-update description: > Guide users through setting up or updating a local development environment for the Opentrons opentrons/opentrons monorepo. Use this skill whenever a user mentions setting up or updating Opentrons development, cloning the Opentrons repo, installing or refreshing dev dependencies for Opentrons, getting started contributing to Opentrons, or hits errors during Opentrons dev setup/update (pyenv, uv, nvs, yarn, Node.js, Python, make setup, brew, git). Also trigger when the user seems new to the terminal or CLI and is trying to run Opentrons software locally. Trigger even if the user just says "I want to contribute to Opentrons", "how do I get the Opentrons repo running locally", or "I'm stuck on the Opentrons setup."

Opentrons Dev Environment Update Skill

This skill helps users — including those new to the command line — update their local development environment for the Opentrons monorepo when npm dependencies and python dependencies are updated.

Guiding Principles

• Be patient and explicit. Users may be unfamiliar with the terminal. Explain what each command does before showing it.
• One step at a time. Always ask the user to run the verification command and share the output before moving on.
• Explain tool concepts briefly. When introducing a new tool (pyenv, uv, nvs, etc.), give a one-sentence explanation of what it is and why it's needed.
• Watch for shell/PATH issues. The most common source of problems. Remind users to restart their terminal after installs.
• If the user pastes an error, diagnose it using the Troubleshooting section below.
• If there's missing info to proceed, ask for it. If the user doesn't know what to do next, ask them to run the verification command again.

Required Tools and Versions

python dependencies are updated

update python dependencies

make teardown-py && make setup-py

node dependencies are updated

update npm dependencies

make teardown-js && make setup-js

update python and node dependencies

update npm dependencies

make teardown && make setup

Troubleshooting

teardown errors

If you're using make teardown and get an error, try running make setup again.

python errors

If you're using make setup-py and get an error, try running make teardown-py and make setup-py again.

node errors

If you're using make setup-js and get an error, try running make teardown-js and make setup-js again.

Tips for Helping CLI-Unfamiliar Users

• ~ means home folder — e.g., /Users/yourname on Mac, /home/yourname on Linux.
• >> is safe — it appends a line to a file. Reassure users it won't overwrite anything.
• source reloads the shell config without closing the terminal. Useful shortcut.
• Encourage copy-paste for long commands — typing them by hand causes typos.
• Normalize errors — errors during setup are common and fixable. Stay calm and diagnostic.
• make setup takes time — warn users before they run it so they don't think it's frozen.